Like a bad penny, Andrew L. Smith just keeps turning up to haunt the City of Natchez.

For 11 months, Smith&8217;s attempts at leading the city&8217;s planning department failed miserably. His efforts drew fire from other city department heads and residents who were frustrated with Smith&8217;s poor communication skills and sketchy effectiveness. His failure to get things done forced projects to grind to a halt.

In his tenure, several planning issues were tabled numerous times &8212; including the simple process of approving the previous meeting&8217;s minutes &8212; because of errors and incomplete material.

In the latest bit of intrigue, the ousted city planner has filed a complaint against the City of Natchez claiming his termination was based on race.

Unfortunately, such actions take away from the integrity of true cases in which race may, in fact, be a factor.

Smith was hired and fired by an administration led by a black mayor. The mayor says he made the decision to part company with Smith because he was ineffective in his role. We believe the mayor.

Effectiveness, not skin tone, was the true issue.

He&8217;s one &8220;penny&8221; we wish we&8217;d never see again.